New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-02-14
SAFETY ON THE RAIL.


The attention Of the public should not he
diverted from the important question Of safe
railroad travelling until measures have been
taken which will compel the corporations to do
their duty. For years hideous disasters have
been occurring at intervals on the railroads
and though every one Of them was pregnant
with suggestions for reform Of the service tho
companies have been culpably sluggish in In
PRODUCING any amendments They have, In
fact, completely worn out the public patience
and have made 1t apparent that nothing will
be done TO insure greater safety in travelling
until legislation compels the changes which
should have been accorded long ago without
compulSion. Safe car heating is at this moment
tho subject of most interest but it Is by no
means tho only point to which attention should
10 directed. II tho car-stove Is an ever-prcs-
cnt source Of danger the car-lamp is only less
TO DO feared, and there can be no doubt that
in nearly every ccnilagraton 1t assists mate
rally In quickcning the work Of destruction
and thus diminishing the chances of escape
open to the passengers who arc caught and held
in the wreck.
Kerosene and all kinds OF oil ought to DO
banishcd from the railroad altogether, for the
sufficient reason that they never can bc trusted.
II lamp does not explode in an accident it is
certain TO spill its contents over whatever is
near it, thus increasing the inhammability Of
the material and providing potent fuel for the
car-stove the moment tho latter is upset 1t
has been already demonstrated that cars can be
lighted by electricity, and that the ely con-
sidcration in the way Of the adoption of the
electric light is that Of cxpcnsc. OF course.
where the public safety is concerned, no such
objection can have any force. When the lamp
and tho stove have been banshcd. however
thcro will still remain plenty Of room for im
provemcnt In the car service. IL has been the
fashion to pretend that the Miller platform and
coupling were the best works Of mechanical
invention in their line. but ii is notorious that
the former does not and cannot prevent the
most frghtfullv destructive Of all railroad ac-
cidcnts, and that which every serious collision
produces, namely, the telescoping OF cars In
all such cases tho Miller platform may hold
together but rs the floor Of ono car il lifted
above that Of another, and slides over il. the
strength OF the platform only helps TO break
down the weak sides Of the car through which
il crashes, and so makes the destruction greater
Clearly what is wanted is some device which
in a collision will prevent the platforms from
mounting ono upon another; which will hold
them down and so force the shock to cxpcnd
itself cndwisc under which conditions tclcscop-
ing would be impossible. or nearly so, and CON
sequcntly all the other casualtics which
follow upon tclcscoping would be OBJ
waited. Now "1he Railroad and Engineer
ing Journal contains q description Of a
platform which fills this very want com
pletely. It's peculiar feature consists in two
safety beams which intcrlock under the car
and which prc"cnt either OF the connected plat
forms from riding the other in a collision
These beams keep both cars on the same level
and the shock Of n collision il thus expended
upon the edges OF the floors, which. Of course
oppose very great and practically insurmount-
able resistance TO the pressure. This platform
is the invention Of the president Of the Chicago
and Alton Railroad Company, and that corpora
ton has had it in use for fifteen years. On
that ono line telescoping is no longer possible
yet-and il is a practical commentary on the
public spirit Of all the other companies-no
other corporation has yet adopted an invention
the importance of which is so obvious. The
truth Is. that railroad companies require great
deh oI urging 10 make hcm 90 their duty 10
the public. After the recent horrible disasters
that fact will hardly be questioned. For il has
been shown that abundant safe methods Of
car heating have already been invented, and
that the pretence of the corporations that thew
have been seeking and not finding such methods
is not true representation. They have been
neglecting their duty, chiefly from parsimonv
and the public must not submit any longer TO
such treatment The law must lie brought to
bear upon Them and then they will soon discover
that it is quite practicable to make railroad
travelling safer.